Chandler Township Roadways"Take a Road-Trip Down Memory Lane"

Heading up Chandler Hill 11 March 2011, it was easy to see which side of the road was the "sunny side of the road"in the photo above taken by Karla Howard Buckmaster.One year I saw over a hundred deer grazing on the sunny side of the road where the grass had already come up for Spring.Photo Below: Looking up the hill just after the first dusting of snow in 2018 with snow on both sides of the roadway...

9 November 2018

Please do not copy the photos on this site, many of which have been submitted by private individuals... just come back and visit the site often to view the photos.

1885 ~ Chandler News... "The roads are impassable..."

4 March 1885 ~ The Petoskey Record

Marion Mackie Wood, Chandler Township resident, often wrote in her diaries about having been carsick. She described the sickness in detail on 9 March 1947 about a trip from Chandler Hill to Petoskey on bad roads, as follows: "It was fearful rough roads & mire in great deep ruts, awful. I got deadly carsick as usual & had to skip into M.W. & Co. [Montgomery Ward & Company] to throw up-felt better then, but had to be careful and not travel too much, so just got groceries & 2 turk [turkeys]."

"I took this [photo above] on the way to the farm! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! I sat in my car on the side of the road for a long time, just watching. I think someone upstairs was sending me a sign that maybe even in the eye of the storm a rainbow can exist."~ Stacey Buckmaster Reeb ~

Photo Below taken by Charles Dawley 30 July 2014: The Chandler Hill Road from the bottom of Chandler Hill heading toward the old Fraley Farm and the old Matz Farm (now the Doublstein Farm), to where the Chandler Township Hall (previous School District No. 1). The intersection on the Chandler Hill Road heads off on Howard Road. This photo shows both swamp areas which have been killed by the beavers' dams which backed up the waters, until the water drowned the trees... thus, the gray areas on both the right and the left sides of the photo below.

The two photos above were pulled from a short video that Stacey Buckmaster Reeb took 21 May 2013 when she stopped, as she had been driving up Chandler Hill. In the video, the water was loud, and rushing, from the recent rain storm. The rapid water, running up over the edge of the pavement, and washing it out, was an example of why the ditches need to be adequate to handle this type of torrent.

On 25 July 2013 Karla Buckmaster took the photos below showing the work that the Charlevoix County Road Commission has been doing on Chandler Hill's road which should help to rectify situations like with the rushing water in the two photos above where the water was washing out the sides of the pavement. The trees along the road were being cut back, in preparation for a desperately needed new road on Chandler Hill.

Top of Chandler Hill like the photo below.

On 31 August 2013 Karla Buckmaster took the slide show photos below showing the work that the Charlevoix County Road Commission has been doing on Chandler Hill's road which should help to rectify situations like with the rushing water in the two photos above where the water was washing out the sides of the pavement. The trees along the road have been cut back, and about 20 holding ponds have been established on both sides of the road which is awaiting asphalt.

By 18 October 2013, the photos below, show the new road top was completed on Chandler Hill Road going up the hill. The roadway was beautiful to see with a glossing of rain on the asphalt which reflected the Fall leaves. The side holding ponds were all grown with new grass, and should work well with the multiple spillways to draw any excess water from the road itself, and to prevent the road shoulders from being washed out as in past years.

Some would call this just "a wide spot in the road", but these are special roadways to me...

Photo above left: Our farmhouse was farther straight down Chandler Hill Road, only about 100 yards from the Walton Road corner. When I was growing up the traffic was very light on the old gravel roads. My dad could tell who was coming up Chandler Hill just by the sound of the solitary engine as it was turning the corners on the hill. Whenever we returned home from somewhere, my dad could tell who had driven into our driveway by looking at the tire tracks that were left in the dirt. We often raced to the window when a car went by, because it happened so seldom, and we usually knew who was in the car when we saw it. In the Springtime, the road in front of our house would have so much mud that the undercarriage of the bus would drag in the center of the road because the tires had sunk into the mud so far. If the roads muddied enough, the bus could not make it as far as in front of our house, so my older brother Rodger and I had towalk to the Walton Corner to catch the bus, where the bus would turn around to head back down Chandler Hill. Then, I had to walk in the ruts to reach the bus, and would have to hold my dress close to my body so the mud would not touch the sides of the skirt of my dress. My brother and his friend Jimmy Walton, who lived about a mile up Walton Road from the corner, knew how to ride their two-wheeled bikes on this road, and I did not know how to ride a "two-wheeler" so to play with them, I had to run to keep up with them... as they peddled fast, to keep me from tagging along. Once, when I just happened to be in front of them, I tripped and fell on the gravel roadway, so my brother Rodger, continued to roll right over me! One of my most memorable, and not "good memorable," happenings occurred just across the road from our driveway. A large tree had been cut down between the edge of the roadway, and close to Johnny Howard's fence line there, because the tree had been in the right of way when the electric lines were finally strung... so, the tree had been cut down, and left there to decay. It was a long tall tree that I could balance on to run the full length if I was careful, before I had to jump off at the end. The memorable happening resulted one time when I jumped off and a "blue racer" snake must have been disturbed from near the downed tree, and began chasing me. The faster I tried to run the more quickly the snake was right at my heels. I was finally so scared, and tired, as I ran down this road, that I stopped, stomped my foot, and screamed which made the blue racer high-tail it back to the fallen tree at the edge of the road.

Photo above right: This is a special lane that heads off from the Chandler Hill Road and Walton Road corner, back through the deep woods,toward Thumb Lake.The packed stone road, off the left of the lane, heading into a second driveway for the now Siegrist Greenhouse, where my dad lived when I was growing up on top of Chandler Hill, did not exist those many years ago. When I was about 8 years old, our cattle had "free range" and wandered off for the day, into the back woods of the lane, into the desolate area that we called the "Old Hughes and Skelton Farms". During the day, for my own entertainment, I spent many hours placing the loose stones, scattered haphazardly along the lane, into the shapes of rooms of a house. Then I would pretend I could walk from one room to the next... sometimes playing house that way most of the day. Sometimes we had to go back on the lane to hunt for the cattle when they did not come home on their own. As we drove out searching for the cattle, my dad would stop the old pickup at the top of the first rutty hill back in the wooded lane, right where the prickly gooseberries grew that I often tried to eat with their little spines that poked the inside of my mouth. There, my dad would get out, listen for the cowbells, know right where the cows were, and sometimes send our dog Rex to herd the cattle and bring them home; or my dad might have to go get them himself. A few times the cattle walked all the way to Thumb Lake, in the next township, at the far end of the lane. Eventually, the cows always plodded their way home. The problem was that no matter how the cattle decided to come home, on their own, or with prodding, they always had to walk along the part of my special lane where I had built my rock house. Being cattle, they did not pick up their feet, so they would plow my rocks out of line so my partitions were ruined, or else they would leave a big ole cowpie right in the middle of my kitchen.~Karla Howard Buckmaster

16 September 2006

Chandler Hill Road Just Past The Siegrist Greenhouse Farm

16 September 2006

Chandler Hill Road Just Past The Siegrist Greenhouse Farm Across From The Hellman-Hindbaugh Farm

This road site in the photo above is just down the road from the farm where I grew up. My brother Rodger and I spent many exciting hours at this spot beside the road, which then was a rock surrounded muddy pond with cat tails like seen in the photo above, but not so overgrown as it appears in the photo. Rodger and I hopped like frogs from rock to rock, catching by hand, tadpoles, also known as polliwogs... from the thousands of them swimming around in the dirty pond. We would then take them home in a Mason jar, but I cannot remember what we did with them after that.~﻿ Karla Howard Buckmaster﻿

Magee Road just past the Matz Home, heading toward Eastwood Home...Photo above submitted by Stacey Reeb displaying her favorite tree on Chandler Hill, with the sun's rays floating down into the field beside the special tree.

16 September 2006

Magee Road heading toward the Eastwood Farm... one of two Centennial Farms in Chandler Township Charlevoix County MI

1976

16 September 2006

Magee Road beside the Gallop Cemetery heading toward the Gallop Farm(Later the Hass Farm)At 100 feet long, this was the longest barn in Chandler Township in 1976. Between 1976 and 2006 the "longest Chandler Hill barn" was razed.

8 February 2014 ~ Hass Barn and Outbuilding

16 September 2006

16 September 2006

Corner of Magee Road North and Penfold Road

16 September 2006

15 February 2008

Magee Road near the Mackie/Wood/Oldham property(Above two photos) Top photo: Heading North and Bottom photo: Heading South

8 February 2014 ~ Magee Road looking south

Marion Mackie Wood kept track in her diaries each day: how many eggs she collected from her chickens, and also whenever a snowplow went through to clear the road... Magee Road in front of their home. On 5 January 1948 Marion wrote: "Big Pusher snow plow thru in early A.M." On 18 January 1949: "10 days since we needed a plow as the snow nearly all went away. Last time the 7th of January." On 19 January 1949: "Plow came at 10 to 12 - & they made hard work of it. Tons of damp snow to move - They went up the hill very slowly. Big plow! This was a dinger of a storm a good foot fell last nite & today & still snowing at intervals - but is getting colder and trying to clear.

On 19 March 1945 Marion Mackie Wood wrote in her diary: “Howard shoveled out the drive so Cub [Karl Howard] drove in-the first caller this spring that has been able to.”

Marion Mackie Wood wrote in her August 16, 1949 Diary: "The road men came & graded our driveway!!! It’s marvelous. They cleaned the culvert, & put it back, & took two trees, the miserable old apple tree & the perfect shade tree, but I don’t mind too much. And, December 16, 1949: "Howard says those plowers damaged our culvert. He was mad about it." May 7, 1950: Mr. Fotchman and Mr. Wangeman were here- they are the Road Committee, & are driving around- looking things over- They are going to fix the road drain, where the plow tore it up at our entrance last winter. And, May 8, 1950: The men came to put in our culvert. Did not finish it. Then, May 9, 1950: "Men came & dug the culvert in- not such a hot job-"

From a scrapbook of Howardine Wood Bush Plumb

My grandmother Howardine Wood Bush Plumb wrote in her scrapbook (photo left): "One fine time we had - the G's [Graydon's] took Bertha, her hubby & me to Mackinac Island, while we were in N. Mich. That was a wonderful time. We all enjoyed it very much. I got this card there, then. The Pere Marquette Indian trail runs thru my dad's farm, & I had often enjoyed being on it, as a child. I used to fancy the Indians were going up & down their old trail, at night, while we slept. Ha. I always was interested in Indians."I rememberGrandma's sister, my Great Aunt Belle, took my brother and me down that same trail in about 1952 where we looked for Indian arrowheads, and we did find several. The Indian trail definitely ran through the farm of Howard and Marion Mackie Wood on Magee Road.~ Karla Howard Buckmaster

In about 1977, Great Aunt Belle Wood Oldham escorted my mom Marion Bush Howard Starr, my husband Sheldon Buckmaster and me, and our children Scott and Stacey on a walk, not far from her home, to the old Pere Marquette Indian trail to look for Indian arrowheads, although we found none. Great Aunt Belle showed us other Points of Interest while on the walk as seen in the threephotos below.~ Karla Buckmaster Howard

Belle, Sheldon, Scott, Stacey, and Marion walked from Belle's farmhouse a short distance on Magee Road before turning into the woods to reach the Pere Marquette Indian Trail.

Marion and grandchildren Stacey and Scott, along with Great Aunt Belle took a rest while on their search for Indian arrowheads.

Great Aunt Belle and Sheldon study the birch tree with many carved initials near the Indian Trail.

Magee Road near the corner where the old Mackie School No. 3 sits. The photo below shows the previous Mackie School No. 3 now used as a private residence... as it has been for several years.

27 July, 2013

18 January 2011

This photo above shows the same roadway as in the photo below right of the corner of the Seasonal Road Ravine off Magee Road. In the winter view the logging remains were much more visible on the left, although the top photo was taken only about 6 months earlier than the July 2011 photo below right.

Roadways on the corner of Ravine and Magee RoadsJuly 2011

Photo Left Above: Magee Road looking south.Notice the almost perfect circle that the overhanging roadway trees create at this spot in the road.Photo Right Above: Ravine Road.

In the photo below Donald Bush stood beside Ravine Road, near where the cottages were, with a co-incidental Bush Road sign. Donald Bush owned the entire Magee/Ravine corner property, and a different Mr. Bush, not related, also owned nearby property and posted the Bush Road sign. In 2014 the entire field behind Donald has grown thick with Jack Pine trees, so the rolling fields cannot even be seen.

On Magee Road, just past Ravine corner, looking at Bush property... heading toward Great Lakes Transmission Station[This property was previously owned by William "Bud" Gallop, and before that by the State of Michigan.]

8 February 2014 ~ Springvale Road close to Springbrook Golf Course... deer crossing in the road

8 February 2014 ~ Springvale Road passing Springbrook Golf Course, almost to Chandler Township Line where it meets Melrose Township

1976

Cobb Road with Gordon and Mary Peters' home on the corner in 1976

About 2004 ~ John's Place on the corner burned.

25 May 2014

Cobb Road Corner

25 July 2013

Cobb Road with previous Ash Stewart Farm in distance

1976

September 2004 ~ Petoskey newspaper

Cobb Road with Connie Currie Fraley's home on the corner in 1976

Cobb Road with Merle "Junior" and Shirley Fraley's home on the right in 1976

7 October 2006

Walton Road makes a sharp 90 degree corner with Harmon Road heading off through the woods on a two-track down Chandler Hill.

19 May 2013 ~ Looking UP Plank Hill

19 May 2013 ~ Looking DOWN Plank Hill

To take off through the woods from the top of Chandler Hill on to Harmon Road, and down Plank Hill, is not an adventure for the faint of heart. A knowledgeable guide, a good GPS, and/or a compass are highly recommended on this Seasonal Road which is not plowed in the winter. In the Springtime, the hilly terrain is a good place to find mushrooms, and to lose mushroomers. Stopping in the middle of Plank Hill, one will see the view in the left photo above, looking UP Plank Hill, or one will see the view in the right photo above, looking DOWN Plank Hill.Jutting off the sides of Harmon Road in multiple locations are trails leading off into the beautiful forests... many of the jutting trails follow old Cobbs & Mitchell railroad grades which meandered through the logging areas and near the various logging camp sites in their day.Harmon Road, and these jutting trails are well used, so slowness of speed, and extra caution, are necessary on the mostly one-lane roads or trails... someone will have to pull off to the side for two vehicles to pass safely.

19 May 2013 ~ Railroad grade trail jutting off Harmon Road

19 May 2013 ~ Railroad grade trail jutting off Harmon Road

A guide might tell you about state designated Indian burial mounds, which were marked so many years ago, by four hemlock trees, now grown majestically tall, with one of those hemlocks no longer standing. Sometimes, however, even the best guide cannot go directly to the mounds.Continuing on Harmon Road, crossing Springvale Road, heading on toward Emmet County, the viewing of the big white cross marking the Hughes gravesite at the location of Dot, will be a revelation in the woods as in the photo right.

Off Harmon Road, heading east on the North County Line Road truly allows the driver to be in Emmet County, and the passenger to be in Charlevoix County, while riding in the same vehicle.A ninety degree turn to the south on the CCC Road will go close to the Wolverine Camp CCC location with its remaining cement foundations from about 1940.Wolverine Camp CCC is very close to the location of the now non-existent Village of Springvale.At Springvale's Corners [see photo Google map below], poet Robert Frost, truly would have been perplexed by having a choice of five, not just two, directions to possibly travel... for he wrote: "The Road Not Taken" and questioned which road to take when "two roads diverged in a yellow wood."

19 May 2013 ~ The Hughes Cross at Dot just off the beaten track of Harmon Road

19 May 2013 ~ A foundation/slab at the old Camp Wolverine CCC

2013 ~ Google Map Image of Springvale's Five Corners

1976

Walton Road at Corner By Dennis and Micki Howard's Trailer,and Ernest and Marj Walton's home,into which Dennis and Micki eventually moved

7 October 2006

8 February 2014 ~ Walton Road heading away from Magee Road

Walton Road Heading Toward Calvin & Linda Penfold's Farm

The article below stated that in 1921 only 5000 miles of concrete highways were completed in the United States. Chandler Township has never had very many of its roads paved.

4 January 1923 ~ The Levering Local newspaper

18 January 1923 ~ The Levering Local newspaper

18 January 1923 ~ The Levering Local newspaper

Photo Below of Map: This old 1965 map had to be unrolled and held down to be photographed. The directions are marked on the edges of the map. I believe that the roadway going up the center is Magee Road with the first road going to the west being Walton road, I believe. The roadway does not show as far north as the Springvale Corners, but is heading in that direction.